The Superdome has artificial turf. Saints quarterback Drew Brees might have forgotten, but the Rams’ seemingly refreshed defensive line gave him regular reminders in Sunday’s NFC championship game.

Ndamukong Suh recorded sacks on consecutive plays. Aaron Donald remained a consistent backfield presence. Michael Brockers tipped a pass in overtime. Dante Fowler, an edge-rushing linebacker who plays at the line of scrimmage, smacked Brees in overtime, which directly led to a huge Rams interception.

Oh, and the Rams’ front also stopped the run. Remember when that was an issue? For four consecutive weeks, the Rams’ defense, questioned all season, has become the answer to many concerns. That was the case Sunday, when the defense stabilized and allowed the Rams to rally from an early 13-point deficit.

“They were going to have their good plays and we were going to have our good plays,” Donald said. “They started a little quicker than us, but we stayed calm and stayed focused.”

Sign up for Home Turf and get exclusive stories every SoCal sports fan must read, sent daily. Subscribe here.

Most notably, not only did the Rams sack Brees twice, but they hit him seven times. It showed. Brees entered the game with a 6-0 record in home playoff games, and not since 2009 had he thrown for fewer than 250 yards in a playoff game at the Superdome. He finished 26 of 40 for 249 yards and two touchdowns.

At his best – and he’s often at his best – Brees feels pressure and either deftly slides away from it or delivers the ball before a hit arrives. The Rams, in the teams’ first meeting in November, didn’t sack Brees once, and only Donald recorded a hit. This time, Donald had four, while Suh and Fowler each had two.

“Great team football,” Donald said. “That’s what it’s about. Guys staying together, playing together, guys flying around making plays and putting pressure on him when we needed to.”

That was the difference. The Rams’ offense was slow to get going, which put the defense in bad spots early when it came to field position and time of possession. Late in the first quarter, the Rams didn’t have a first down but did have an interception, and they faced a 13-0 deficit.

After that, though, the Rams’ defense stepped up. The Saints totaled 13 points and 125 yards in the first quarter, but then only 10 points and 165 yards for the rest of the game, including overtime.

That improvement started at the line of scrimmage. The Saints had zero rushing yards in the second quarter, and Kamara (8 carries, 15 yards) and Ingram (9 carries, 31 yards) were kept in check for the entire game.

“When you’re in someone else’s house, you’re going to have to weather some storms,” Suh said. “I’m glad it happened early. We finished out how we needed to finish out.”

A STEP BACK

Rams’ players got their customary Tuesday day off. The team is scheduled to resume full practices on Thursday at its Cal Lutheran practice facility in Thousand Oaks, and will depart for Atlanta on Sunday.

THE BACKSTORY

The late-game play in which Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman hit Saints receiver Tommylee Lewis but did not get called for pass interference continues to be a major talking point. What led to the contact might be even more compelling.

Robey-Coleman said that, all week in practice, Coach Sean McVay gave the Rams’ defense “this unusual look,” in which a running back lined up wide and a receiver ran a route out of the line of scrimmage.

Robey-Coleman said that on the fateful third-down play, he lined up opposite Saints running back Alvin Kamara but noticed Lewis in the backfield. Robey-Coleman improvised, sprinted toward Lewis – who was wide open – and made the contact that prevented Lewis from making a catch attempt.

“It was a set-up play,” Robey-Coleman said. “If they would have done it with Kamara, we would have been all over it. Instead, they did it with (Lewis), to get him less attention, and it almost worked. But I caught on at the last second. I never saw the ball.”

Rich Hammond was a high school senior when the Rams left town in 1995, and now he's their beat writer for the Southern California News Group. A native of L.A., Rich broke in at the Daily Breeze as a college freshman and also has covered USC, the Kings, the Lakers and the Dodgers. He still loves sports and telling stories. Don't take the sarcastic tweets too seriously.

Join the Conversation

We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. Although we do not pre-screen comments, we reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions.

If you see comments that you find offensive, please use the “Flag as Inappropriate” feature by hovering over the right side of the post, and pulling down on the arrow that appears. Or, contact our editors by emailing moderator@scng.com.